The government should employ proper marketing strategies to effectively entice foreign visitors and boost local tourism, instead of just trumpeting empty slogans, an industry insider said yesterday.
"Taiwan does have something to offer [to foreign travelers] ? but I don't think Taiwan spends enough on promotions," Don Birch, president and CEO of Abacus International, told the press during a luncheon.
Abacus is an Asia-Pacific travel facilitator, whose Singapore-based company has more than 10,000 agency locations in 22 markets, including Taiwan.
Birch said that promoting a nation's tourism industry is like selling products and building brands, which takes at least four or five years to bear fruit and requires fitting promotions to reach potential consumers.
Citing the example of common confusions between Taiwan and Thailand among foreigners, Birch said enhancing Taiwan's international visibility is a priority, as the international community generally has "a poor understanding of how interesting Taiwan is."
In terms of tourism marketing, he said New Zealand is the best model in the region as it has successfully built an image of showcasing its countryside.
Singapore, he noted, represents another good example, as it focuses on the businesspeople market to complement its lack of natural scenic attractions.
Back in Taiwan, this year's sliding inbound tourist arrivals are generally viewed as the consequence of ongoing political disputes stemming from the March presidential election, but Birch thinks otherwise.
"It's the same problem -- whether you have the right marketing," he said.
The government has budgeted NT$1 billion for the "2004 Visit Taiwan Year" project with the goal of doubling the number of foreign tourist arrivals by 2008.
To achieve that goal, the Tourism Bureau has conducted several overseas public relations campaigns and invited local pop diva Chang Hui-mei (
The bureau also enhances Taiwan's image promotions in major markets of Japan, South Korea, Europe and the US, said Wayne Liu (
"A-mei is a good choice for the three Southeast Asian markets," said Roger Han (
Japan is Taiwan's most important market as its visitors accounted for 30.8 percent of the nation's inbound tourists in August, followed by those from Hong Kong and Macau, who accounted for 16.8 percent, according to the bureau.
Han said the government could promote special travel packages to multinational companies, enticing them to hold regional conventions on the island's east coast while enjoying the world-class scenery there.
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